My story:

It was the first time I ever played Diplomacy, in 10th grade World History Class.

And that class was READY for a war, even a board game war... the Mexican kids had their clique, the whites had theirs, the Asians had theirs and never spoke to hardly anyone else...

And at the heart of it all was a sort of "Western Triangle of Hate."

Me, the Jew vs. an Arabic kid who hated Israel vs. a typical gamer kid, who sort of played off both of us...

Add to that some preppy girls who couldn't stand to lose, the perfectionist type (and this was for a grade, winners got best grade, so this meant something) and it was an excuse to vent the feelings of a whole semester and a half of differences.

The powers:

-I wasn't too well liked, but I knew more than nearly anyone and especially miltary history in that class, so folks weren't stupid, they wanted someone who would know what to do, so I got England.

-The Arab kid got France (just to add to our animosity, angry neighbors...)

-Some Blonde Girl who was just... there, not really disliked by anyone, got Germany because... hey, she WAS blonde ;)

-The Preppy Girl got Italy

-Latino Girl got Russia

-Her Latino Boy Friend got Austria

-White Gamer Kid got Turkey w/ the African American kid as his Right Hand man.

And it was on.

A strong northern opening by Germany and I (but not, strangely, in tandem) shut out Russia, who was pressured by Turkey.
Took Belgium, and, then, Holland.

And then D-Day 1914 began.

France was CRUSHED and FAST. It was a shock to half the class he went down so fast, and THEN people started to get uneasy.

At this point I had my homeland, France's, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and, thanks to a psuedo-stab in convincing Austria not to help his friend at all, St. Petersburg Moscow.

15 Centers, and the far-and-away most dominating Navy with 12, stretching the board.

Austria gone.
Russia gone.
Germany holding strong to what she had.
Italy clinging to its homeland and Tunis.
And Turkey having everything else and matching me at 14-15.

So it looked like a huge North vs. South clash was on.

And then folks wanted to DRAW with 5 centers... France surviving with oen fleet in Portugal.

I had NOT just done all this, gotten folks to fight (Latino Boy and Latino Girl were pretty pissed at one another in the aftermath of what he'd done, or, rather, not done) to draw with 5 and allow the one kid I HATED to get in on it. So I made a simple request. Get rid of that last French fleet to knock out the Arab kid and his group, and I'll draw,

Whether or not I WOULD HAVE... if I got it and had 16 I might have tried for a win.

Germany said OK.
Turkey didn't care about France.

And ITALY, the Preppy Girl, said NO, on PRINCIPLE... she hated my being so "aggressive" and not drawing with 7 so everyone could have had decent grades, instead of 5 with better grades.

Two full years pass, four turns, I send about 3-4 units each time supporting, cutting, going after that one damn center of Portugal-

it HOLDS!

1917 I've lost St. Petersburg and Moscow, and some eastern portions of the Scands, from 14 to about 8, still second by far (the game had shattered every nation but me and Turkey) and the others cede to the teacher, experienced in playing the game, to command as one huge force, unless I draw.

Just wanting Portugal gone, no draw.

1919 drew with 6 units... and Portugal still there as France!

THAT DAMN PREPPY GIRL!

One place! I even offered to support HER there! I had 15, I didn't care who took it, I just wanted the arab kid OUT after his many Holocaust jokes and just being a jerk the whole time! 4 players over 5= more grades for us!

She would have had MORE if she'd just let that bugger DIE!

But no, not FAIR? Who did she think she was, Karl Marx, everyone should get a fair slice?

GAH!

The happy epilogue:

-A year later a friend asked me to take over her Italy in her class, playing the game, she'd lost it with a good friend of mine and a GREAT player advancing fast, he was just like me, he was even a corner nation, Turkey... with about 14 or more in strength and nothing standing between Italy and him. Retook Venice, and then this kid who ran France... his group didn't like him, so I pitted the kid against his group, made him paranoid of their suggestions (which would have had him FAR better off) and France supported me AND "for some reason" sent their fleets far north to near England and away from Italy... by the time he'd realized he'd been tricked, Turkey'd ran out of time as I had, and Italy held- once again the spoiler (hence the reason E and I are my favorite powers, and no coincidence both are naval powers and in both games my navies built my empire/saved the nation along with backroom deals)

-I joined WbDip right after that first-ever game, all the way back in 2006, as a result.

:)